Rural Tracking Poll
The battle to win votes in rural America was closer than expected in the 2004 presidential election and rural voters played a critical roll in determining the outcome. Rural Strategies, in a first-of-its-kind project, polled rural voters in 17 states before the 2004 presidential race. We worked with print and broadcast journalists to disseminate the results in an attempt to attract greater attention to rural issues. We have continued to track the rural vote and issues of concerns to rural people.

Community Philanthropy Initiative
Rural Strategies, working in consultation with the Kenya Community Development Foundation and the East Tennessee Foundation, is creating an outreach campaign to advance international understanding of how local resources can be aggregated and redeployed, even in the poorest regions, to create economic opportunity and sustainable community improvement. Production is completed on a thirty minute video documentary, "Donors Ourselves."

A Place in the Country
This one-hour television documentary examines the impact of seven rural community development organizations located throughout the United States. The program aired as part of the Headwaters television series from Appalshop Films.

Rural Desk News Initiative
Television news pieces about issues facing rural Americans today. The first series was produced in the fall of 2003 and aired by stations across the country. They can be viewed on-line.

Rural Reality Campaign
Rural Strategies has helped lead a campaign to dissuade CBS from producing a reality television program based on the 60s situation comedy "The Beverly Hillbillies". The campaign launched with ads in newspapers in January 2003 and garnered support from wide ranging sources - politicians from both parties, labor unions, artists, social service organizations, and thousands of individuals.

Campaign to Save CRA
Efforts are underway to gut key regulatory provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. This law ensures that financial institutions serve the needs of low- and moderate-income communities. These changes will redline the American dream for millions of rural people who depend on CRA provisions to support affordable housing and community development.

A Field Guide to Community Building
A web site produced with the Heartland Center for Leadership Development that combines "how-to" information about community development with stories that illustrate the impact of community work.